Sunday, December 20, 2009

A visit to Eddie Johns and his Otara Birch Gardens is always one of the great highlight of the Iris year. This is the largest collection of Japanese Irises in New Zealand and makes for an impressive display. Some of his new seedlings show real potential. A few of the photos taken yesterday.Big hat tip to Eddie Johns for his hospitality.

Monday, December 14, 2009

We have grown this iris at home for two years, but only bloomed in its second season. My initial thoughts were before checking the label that it was most likely Bernard Hamner's 1994 introduction 'Burgundy Party' and what was it doing growing there? But when reading the label and double checking my notes and garden map, I found out the Iris to be the widely acknowledged shy blooming New Zealand bred iris 'Kingston Glory'.With good closed form in it's Standards, a nice amount of ruffling on both the standards and the falls, and with a not to excessive amount of veining extending from the haft down a significant third of the falls, giving 'Kingston Glory' a retro look of sorts. It's a soft bi-tone of burgundy-lilac colours which are sun-fast. Foliage has a purple bottom to it (PBF).All and all, a better looking and a more structurally sound bloom than 'Burgundy Party', but lets itself down by being an sporadic bloomer a trait that happens a lot with the progeny of 'Bewilderbeast'. Branching inconsistent and bud count is lacking so far, but I will continue to grow this iris with interest and hope it looses interest in been shy.

Saturday, December 12, 2009

For the past 6 years the award winning 'Gypsy
Romance' has consistently created a great deal of attention in my
garden. A rich ruffled violet raspberry self (RHS 77A) with a most
attractive beard. Clumps up very well and in no time at all becomes a very
impressive display. Flowers of good form and ample size. It's one of the few
Irises that makes my bucket list (one you need to grow and see before
you kick the bucket) Interesting parentage R 720-D: (Louisiana Lace x
Entourage) X T 879-B: (L556-1: (G 510-A x Fabulous Frills) x Starcrest)

CONTEMPORARY VIEWS—1994/1995, Perry Dyer. GYPSY ROMANCE (Schreiner 1994) is a rich deep cranberry, deeper and larger than ‘Thriller’ (Schreiner) with much improved plant habits. The hafts are imprinted with a small portion of smooth chocolate. Stalks are a superb modified candelabra, with 4 branches, double budded, with excellent sequencing of bloom and later secondary stalks, further extending its bloom season. Overall form is tighter and improved over the Schreiners’ 1992 offering of similar nature, ‘Mulberry Punch’.

Friday, December 11, 2009

New Zealand's only genus of the worldwide distributed Iris family (Iridaceae) is LIBERTIA SPRENGEI of which there are 4 recognised native species. Libertia peregrinans is one of the native species growing in the gardens just outside Parliament Buildings Lampton Quay in an area known as Waitiki LandingThe plant is used extensively by the Wellington City Parks and Reserves Department and is planted in many public gardens around the Capitol City. It's tiny white flowers which are still on some plants outside the National Archives and at Glover Park but plantings at Waitiki Landing have finished flowering and photos show an abundance of seed. Colourful Orange Green foliage which becomes more vivid when the plant is stressed certainly makes a statement. Can handle poor soils and harsh conditions which makes the plant ideal for amenity plantings. Plant has short creeping Rhizomes with fibrous roots

Formerly widespread in its Native habitat the plant is now classified as Vulnerable.

Wednesday, December 2, 2009

One of the highlights of this bloom season was the flowering of another Ron Busch Iris 'SOUTHERN AUTUMN" which performed great in the inclement weather. Good growth with eight to ten buds on very strong stalks, Standards a rosy grey white, Wine brick red ruffled semi-flaring falls with an edge the same colour as standards. Mustard gold beard enhances the colour combination. Whilst it was just its first year at home the colouration was stand out, it is floriferous, and has the potential to make a stunning clump. My understanding is that it is fertile both ways. An impressive Iris which would more than hold its own in its class internationally.Since the introduction of 'Finest Hour' this iris is the best New Zealand attempt at a red amoena in many decades.The breeding of red Irises or in fact a red amoena is the Holy Grail of the Iris world yet this iris was able to avoid been given an award of any sort, but in the New Zealand Iris world that isn't really a bombshell is it ??

"The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore all progress depends on the unreasonable man".

George Bernard Shaw

WELCOME

HERITAGE IRISES

INDEPENDENT ALWAYS

Welcome to Heritage Irises, and
do make yourself at home. The blog shares the magic of Irises and
will feature some very special New Zealand raised varieties
including the brilliance of our very own Jean Stevens (1900-1967).
Each and every iris growing in New Zealand are a part of our Iris
Heritage and will all become historic or heirloom irises one day so
why not start early and give them all a good home! Writing and
researching about heirloom irises is just a hobby and the blog is my
diary notes and observations of the Irises I grow and like at
home.I'm really enjoying myself, although blogging is a lot like a
virus that invades the mind and body and you can't rid yourself of
it, in the nicest possibly way of course. Click on any photo to view
a larger image.

They took all the trees And put them in a tree museum Then they charged the people A dollar and a half just to see 'emDon't it always seem to go,That you don't know what you've got 'Til it's gone They paved paradise And put up a parking lot Yellow Taxi

Joni Mitchell

A 10 year old 5.1 mega pixel Fuji Finepix S5600 digital camera has been used exclusively for all photos able to be viewed on the blog that are accredited to Iris Hunter. Why such an old camera you may ask? Well its an easy camera to work with, but more importantly it reinforces my view that you don't have to invest thousands of dollars in equipment to produce a reasonably swish Blog

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